Jay Dugger ’90 was always ready to go toe-to-toe in debates with his political science professors. In the decade after he graduated, the scholarship and legal acumen he once showcased at Mary Washington helped him earn a law degree from the College of William and Mary, pass the bar, go into private practice, make partner and become the youngest sitting judge in Virginia.
2024 Alumni Award recipients Simran Kaur-Colbert ’11, Susan Leavitt ’83 and Jay Dugger ’90 with President Troy Paino at UMW’s Alumni Awards ceremony on June 1 during Reunion Weekend. Photo by Karen Pearlman.
“Jay has been a champion for not only what is the law, but also for the people who are impacted by those laws,” Rich Cooper ’90 said of his friend. Now the chief judge of the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court in Hampton, Virginia, Dugger has helped create programs to reunify families, reduce child truancy and provide educational and behavior services to children in the delinquency system.
His support of underserved communities earned him the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Mary Washington, honoring graduates who have made significant contributions in their profession and community, while being leaders in their fields.
Nominated by Cooper – who received the same award in 2020 – and Michael Michalowicz ’90, Dugger was honored in a June 1 ceremony in Seacobeck Hall’s Weatherly Wing during Reunion Weekend. Alumni joined President Troy Paino in celebrating Dugger, Susan Leavitt ’83 and Simran Kaur-Colbert ’11, as well as Dori Eglevsky, former rector of UMW’s Board of Visitors (BOV), who was named an honorary alumna. Alumni Awards Vice President Sean Lynch ’95 announced the honorees, who were selected by the Alumni Association Board of Directors (AABOD).